Car coupling



(No Model.) 7

P. H. FOX.

GAR COUPLING.

N0. 560,'788. Patented May 26, 18596.

/gmm]llllllflllllllllllllllilmm E Mf UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLOYD H. FOX, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,788, dated May 26,1896.

Application filed April 11, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

3e it known that I, FLOYD I-I. FOX, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar- Couplings; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to car-couplings, but more particularly to thatclass of couplings which are recognized in the art as of the J anneytype.

The objects of the invention are to provide simple and efficient meansfor automatically locking the usual angular knuckle in engagement withan opposed coupling device and for unlocking the knuckle andsimultaneously positively throwing it open or into position for engagingwith an opposed coupling device by the unlocking movement of the lockingdevice, to dispense with the usual sliding locking-block, and reduce thenumber of parts required for accomplishing the desired results to aminimum, so as to simplify the construction and decrease the cost ofproduction and maintenance or repairs.

The invention will first be hereinafter described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and thenpointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, in which the same letters of reference are used todenote corresponding parts in the several views, Figure 1 represents asectional plan view of a coupler-head with an angular knuckle pivotedthereto and a lockin g device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional side elevation of the couplerhead and locking device showingthe angular knuckle closed and locked. Fig. 3 is a sectional sideelevation of the same, showing the knuckle open and the locking-lever ina raised position. A Fig. 4 is a perspective view from the rear of theangular knuckle, and Fig. 5

is a detail of the combined locking and un locking lever and link. H

Couplings now in common use are usually provided with a sliding lockingdevice or block adapted to be engaged by the inclined sur- Serial No.587,152. (No model.)

face of the tailpiece of the knuckle as the latter swings into therecessed coupler-head for raising or moving the locking device out ofthe path of the tailpiece in coupling and to connect the locking-blockwith a swinging or rotating portion ofthe angular knuckle, so as topositively throw the knuckleopen or into .coupling position at the sametime that it is unlocked and by the unlocking movement of the lockingdevice, the block being adapted to return to normal position either bygravity or the force of a spring or weight, so as to lock the tailpieceof the knuckle in the recess of the coupler-head, and thereby lock theangular knuckle when two opposing coupler-heads are brought intoengagement with each other; but it has been found in practice that thelocking device or block is liable to be broken or bent, so astoseriously interfere with the action thereof or render the sameinoperative by the sudden knocks which it receives when the tailpiece isstruck by an opposed coupling device in the act of coupling the cars. Toovercome this objection, I dispense with the usual sliding block andadapt the tailpiece to close without strile ing the device by which itis locked, and at the same time automatically lock the angular knucklein proper position when coupled to an opposed coupler-head, and adaptthe looking device to throw the knuckle open in the act of unlocking it,the locking device being itself retained by the knuckle when open insuch position that the tailpiece of the knuckle cannot strike it in theact of coupling the cars, so that bending or breaking of the lockingdevice or injury to the coupler-head by sudden thrusts or strokes of thetailpiece again-st the locking-block is prevented.

Referring to the drawings, A may denote adraw-head, which maybe of theform shown or of any preferred construction, and which is provided atone side thereof with the usual guard-finger a and at the opposite sidethereof with the usual forward extension, to which is pivoted theangular knuckle Bin the usual manner, said head being also provided atsaid side with an internal recess or slot A, within which the lockingdevice 0 may be housed and adapted to work. The tailpiece b of theknuckle B may be of the usual construction and arranged to swing intothe recess A as usual and to be locked therein by the looking device,which I will now proceed to describe.

C denotes a lever of the first order pivoted within the recess A of thecoupler-head, so that its long arm 0 may swing in a vertical planewithin limits determined by the depth of the slot or recess in which itworks, said arm 0 being preferably weighted, so that it may fall bygravity and lock the tailpiece of the knuckle in coupling position whensaid tailpiece is swung into the recess of the coupler-head. The shortarm a of the lever O is provided with a tongue 0 which may be twisted orotherwise formed with inclined upper and lower bearing-surfaces arrangedat an angle to the axis or pivot of the lever for engagement with acam-slot b formed in the hub of the knuckle B, so that when the long armof the lever is raised the lower inclined surface of the tongue 0 willbear upon the lower inclined surface of the cam-slot or groove b androtate the knuckle upon its pivot, so as to throw it open at the sametime that it is unlocked. The position of the parts when the knuckle isopen is shown in Fig. 3. In this position, as will be seen, the upperinclined surface of the tongue 0 will be in contact with the upperinclined surface of the cam-slot or groove 0 and by reason of thepreponderance of weight of the long arm of the lever the latter willtend to close the knuckle; but on account of the friction sufficientresistance will be afforded to adapt the knuckle to hold the long arm ofthe lever in an elevated position unless the cars are in motion, inwhich case the pounding or jarring of the parts will cause the knuckleto close; but in any event the parts are so constructed that thetailpiece of the knuckle will be thrown nearly to the limit of itsmovement within the recess before the longer or weighted arm of thelever has been lowered far enough to be struck thereby, and as thetailpiece completes its inward movement the weight of the arm 0 willcause the latter to drop down between the tailpiece and the inner wallof the recess or slot A, so as to lock the tailpiece in couplingposition, the upper end of the-cam slot or groove b being open or soconstructed that the tongue 0 may escape therefrom and rise above thehub of the knuckle to permit the long arm to move forward sufficientlyto lock the tailpiece. For raising the tailpiece a link D (or othersuitable device) may be pivoted at one end to the long arm of the leverO and have its other end projected through a slot or opening a in thecoupler-head, and a link or chain d may connect said link D with arock-shaft or crankarm within convenient reach of the operator at theside of the car or in other convenient position for unlocking thecoupling when desired.

The operation of the invention will be readily understood from theforegoing description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, and may be briefly explained as follows: Assuming the parts tobe in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the long arm of the lever Cmay be raised by lifting the chain cl, and as the lever is rocked uponits pivot sufficiently to clear the passage for and unlock the tailpiecethe shorter arm of the lever will engage the cam-slot in thecoupler-head, and the instant the tailpiece is unlocked it will bethrown open by the engagement of the lower cam-surface on the arm 0 withthe lower inclined surface of the camslot Z7 thus simultaneouslyunlocking the knuckle and throwing it open or into coupling position, asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 3. In thislatter position, the knuckle being open, the upper inclined surface ofthe tongue 0 will engage the upper inclined surface of the cam-slot 6 sothat in such position the lever will tend to close the knuckle,particularly if the coupler be pounded or jostled by the motion of thecar or otherwise; but under ordinary conditions the friction between theengaging surfaces of the lever and knuckle will be sufficient to causethe knuckle to hold the long arm of the lever in an elevated position,and in any event the lever cannot fall or be lowered into position to bestruck by the tailpiece until the latter has moved inwardly past thepath of movement of the lever, so that pounding of the locking deviceand consequent injury thereto and to the coupler-head are avoided. Whenan adjacent or opposed coupling device is brought into couplingengagement with the coupler-head with the knuckle open, the tailpiece ofthe knuckle of the opposed coupling will strike the tailpiece b of theknuckle l3 and move the latter inwardly into the recess A, and at thesame time the long arm of the lever C will be lowered either by its ownweight or by the camming action of the camslot B with the cam-surface 0thereof, or both, and after the tailpiece has passed far enough into theslot to permit the short arm or tongue 0 of the lever will escape fromthe cam-slot, while its long arm moves forwardly and locks thetailpiece, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. In uncoupling, the operationwill be as hereinbefore described.

In some cases it may not be necessary that the short arm of the levershould actually escape from the cam slot 12 provided sufficient play ispermitted to adapt the long arm of the lever to move far enough to lockthe tailpiece, nor is it absolutely essential that the long arm of thelever should be weighted, as the positive act-ion of the cam-slotthereon will compel its movement in both directionsthat is, in bothrising and falling; but a weighted arm is preferable to insure thelocking of the tailpiece the instant the latter has moved past the pathof movement of said arm. A stud or pin on the short arm of the levermight also take the place of the inclined or cam surfaces.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A car-coupling device comprising a coupler-head having a recesstherein, an angular knuckle having a tailpiece adapted to swing intosaid recess and provided with an inclined slot or groove in the hubthereof, and a lever pivoted within said recess and having one of itsarms in engagement with said cam-slot, and its other arm adapted toswing into the path of movement of the tailpiece so as to lock thelatter; said lever being adapted to unlock the tailpiece andsimultaneously open the knuckle, substantially as described.

2. A car-coupling device comprising an angular knuckle having atailpiece adapted to swing into a recess of the coupler-head, and alever pivoted within said recess and having one arm thereof engaging aninclined groove or cam-slot formed in the hub of the knuckle, and itsother arm arranged to move across the path of movement of the tailpieceand lock the latter in coupling position; said lever being adapted topositively open the knuckle the instant the latter is unlocked and bythe movement of the unlocking device, substantially as described.

3. A car-coupling device comprising a coupler-head having a recesstherein, an angular knuckle pivoted to said head and provided with atailpiece adapted to swing into said recess and also provided with aninclined camslot or groove, and a lever pivoted within said recess andhaving a short arm in engagement with said cam-slot and a weighted armadapted to move across the path of movement of said tailpiece and lockthe latter in coupling position; said lever being adapted to unlock theknuckle and simultaneously open the same when its long arm is raised,substantially as described.

4. A car-coupling device comprising a recessed coupler-head having anangular knuckle pivoted thereto and provided with a tailpiece adapted toswing into said recess; the hub of the knuckle being provided with aninclined open-ended slot having upper and lower inclined or camsurfaces; a lever pivoted within the recess of the head having a longarm adapted to swing into position to lock the tailpiece of the knuckle,and a short arm provided with inclined bearing-surfaces for engagingsaid inclined slot, whereby when the long arm of the lever is raised soas to un- 5 5 look the tailpiece the knuckle will be simultaneouslypositively opened by the engagement of the short arm of the lever withthe cam-surface of the slot; the knuckle being adapted to sustain thelong arm of the lever in an elevated position and prevent its lockingend from moving into the path of the tailpiece to be struck thereby,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FLOYD H. FOX.

WVitnesses:

FREDERICK W. LEONARD, W. E. SEELEY, Jr.

